"The point of playing defense is to try to play offense"--Me
Welcome to the world of the defenseman. Long, frequent shifts shutting down the other team's best offensive players, and if you make any mistake, no matter how big or small, then the other team scores. And you get benched. Or yelled at. Or both. Nobody blames the goalies (EVER), and nobody blames the forwards for a lapse in defense, even if it is their fault. So the defenseman gets the blame. Playing defense requires perfection, skill, and luck. However, nobody can be perfect. That's why being a defensive-defenseman is wrong. Now before you curse me out for saying this, read this. As much as we defensemen love playing defense, shutting down the forwards, you can't win everything. And even if your line lets up one goal a month, you will get benched for that one goal. That is, of course, unless you can be relied on for more then defense. That's right, you have to do the forbidden thing; Play Offense. But that doesn't mean turn into a forward, and for the most part ignore your defensive responsibilities. Instead, learn to become a two-way player. Look at the NHL First and Second all star teams. Since 05-06, the defensemen to appear on either of those were Nick Lidstrom, Scott Niedermeyer, Chris Pronger, Dan Boyle, Dion Phaneuf, Brian Campbell, Zdeno Chara, Mike Green, Drew Doughty, and Duncan Keith. Out of all of these defensemen, all of them have been able to put up solid offensive numbers while still playing defense. Making the first or second all-star team means you are recognized as one of the top four defensemen in the league that year. And not one of these defensemen were traditional stay-at-home defensemen who don't excel at offense. Instead, all of them scored points and played defense. In fact, the last defensive defenseman to make the second all-star team was Derian Hatcher. In 02-03. And the last defensive defenseman to play on the first all-star team was Chris Chelios. In 01-02. Where he managed 40 points. The point is, offensive is an important skill for defensemen. So learn to become a two-way player. Also, this is more of a general post, so it won't go too much into specifics.
First of all, you need to practice your skating, passing, and hands. Those are the three most important skills for a defenseman. If you step up and lose the puck, there is an odd man rush the other way. If you can't skate to where you need to be, there is an odd man rush the other way. If you make a bad pass which is intercepted, there is an odd man rush the other way. My next tip is mainly for those big defensemen such as myself. You NEED to win 1-on-1 battles once you commit to one, no matter where it is on the ice. Most of these battles happen on the boards and in corners, and you need to come out of these with the puck as soon as you decide to go for it. There are other times you may have a 1-on-1 battle, such as when you play the puck, and how aggressive you play (How often you initiate battles for the puck with other people) is based on preference of you and your coach. But no matter how you play, whether it's like Lidstrom or like Chara, you need to win these battles, either with your skill or with your body. Now, most defensemen would lose the skill battle against forwards, so you should usually use your body more, especially if you're big or unskilled. If you're not winning these battles still, simply put, you're probably lazy. If you've ever seen a small tenacious player go into a corner or step up along the boards, he gets low and fights hard. He forces his body between you and the puck, and he makes it so you can't get control of the puck. When us big defensemen go into a corner, we stand tall and use our size. But what happens when we play against strong, aggressive forwards in the corner? They get the puck, and we don't. So remember to get low when going into a corner, and more importantly, to WIN THE 1-ON-1 BATTLES ONCE YOU INITIATE THEM. Force your body between the other player and the puck. If you are unable to, at least get the puck closer to your body than to the other players body. You may get hit, but your team will come away with the puck. Another thing I notice big guys (And to be fair, small guys to this too) do is skate lazily up the ice after our forwards go on the rush. As soon as you make your breakout pass, start skating hard up the ice and join in on the rush (Use your discretion; don't do this 100% of the time). Or at least be a trailer. If you're hit with a pass near the blue line as a trailer, you have a perfect screen and a ton of time. So show off your hard slapshot, or sneak in a wrist shot. Either way, you'll feel pretty proud after that goal. And you may start seeing some powerplay time. When the puck is settled in your offensive zone, and your team has the puck, you should be near the top of the circle. When the other team gets the puck, you should not back up too far; stay around the wingers on the other team, and if you see a breakout pass coming, that's when you start backing up. If the puck is ever shot around the boards, then step up, and your first priority is to get into such a position that you will come out with the puck 100% of the time, whether you have to put the body on someone or meet the puck in the corner. If it's a real pass where the defenseman has some time, you usually shouldn't step up, but when it's wrapped around it's fair game. And another great thing for offense also occurs in the offensive zone. I don't know what it's called, though I've heard floater a couple of times. When you're the weak side defenseman, sneak down low into the zone back door, and start calling for a pass near the hashmark if you notice a gap in coverage. When I play defense in the zone, it is one of the hardest things to defend because I don't see it coming. Remember this, and you'll triple your goal total. Also, don't forget that if you have an open lane, feel free to lead the rush. Now for the defense (FINALLY.) You should never be alone and not covering someone or some passing lane in the defensive zone. If nobody's in front of the net in the defensive zone, look for the closest person near the front of the net when you're weak side, and cover them (Stay between them and the net). Remember to look back door, and keep your head on a swivel. Also don't fall back too far when the other team gets the puck. Stay in the play. I like to think of it this way; stay on the same half of the ice as the puck. If the puck is in the other team's defensive zone, don't sink back further than the red line. In fact try to half it again and stay in the offensive zone. Always be in the play. And always be prepared to jump up. When the other team makes stretch passes, it's incredibly easy to intercept the pass, and jump on offense. But more importantly it takes away the other team's chance to score. Remember to step up as soon as possible, especially on odd man rushes. If you challenge the puck carrier at the blue line, it forces an offside or bad pass. You're too late to step up if you're already in the defensive zone, so at that point take away the pass, don't challenge. Or if the other team manages to stay onside, you can skate back, since you have a better angle to the net. Another thing is to avoid wild poke checks. Wild poke checks = A Tripping penalty. When poke checking, use the "Ken Daneyko poke check." What that is is when you poke check, you point the toe of the blade towards the puck. That way the puck doesn't deflect off your stick, and it's actually much more effective than a poke check with the blade angled back. When defending a rush, it's actually better to keep your stick steady, and if there's a pass, that's when you move it. However, it's preferrable to play the body and not the puck if you can (Instead of poke checking) but I'll talk about that when I post about defending the rush. And good forwards can avoid these and beat you in one fluid motion. Use controlled poke checks and your body to stop a forward, not uncontrollable motions. Remember to keep your head on a swivel as well. Know your surroundings. Lastly, in the defensive zone don't sink too far down. Unless the puck is below the goal line, you shouldn't be below the bottom of the circle, and if the puck is at the point, you should be near the faceoff dot. You should almost always be covering someone in the defensive zone. If you're not, then find the open man, unless you're covering the front of the net, in which case you stay near the hashmarks with your head on a swivel. Lastly, you should try to keep your stick in a passing lane when you can.
Breakdown
- Be a two-way defenseman.
- Practice skating, puck control, and passing.
- Don't be afraid to lead the rush if you have an open lane
- WIN 1-ON-1 BATTLES ONCE YOU COMMIT TO THEM
- Get low and be aggressive in the corners. Force your body between the other player and the puck.
- Skate hard on the forecheck and join in the rush.
- Be a floater or whatever it's called.
- Don't fall too far back in the neutral zone when the other team gets the puck.
- Anticipate passes and jump up and intercept them.
- Avoid wild poke checks.
- Ken Daneyko poke check
- ALWAYS Keep your head on a swivel.
- Don't sink too far down in your defensive zone.
